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Hi John, <br>
<br>
So interesting to ask...<br>
<br>
"...what is essential, what is not...."<br>
<br>
Some essentials are tangible and measurable: # of invitees. # of
participants. time. space. etc<br>
<br>
Some essentials are intangible and measureable: willingness.
beliefs. attitudes. levels of authorization (formal & informal.)
experience.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
I see the word 'pattern'. Pattern languages convert (at least <i>some</i>)
tacit know-how to (at least <i>some</i>) explicit know-how, do they
not?<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacit_knowledge">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacit_knowledge</a><br>
"
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
Tacit knowledge is the kind of knowledge that is difficult to
transfer to another person by means of writing it down or
verbalizing it.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
So interesting how you write:<br>
<br>
"...If we were clear what the patterns of open space were, then we
could say what is 'really needed'..."<br>
<br>
"...For instance I might suggest from the conversation that the
differences in public/private, sponsored/commitment are just outer
manifestations of deeper patterns like participant commitment and
energy, and that any variation that fulfills "bring together
participants with commitment to resolving a common issue" will
suffice."<br>
<br>
Yes, and the one thing I add is, (as Lisa and others have strongly
implied,) it's the composition of patterns rather than simply "this
one" or "that one". This is the entire thinking behind Open Agile
Adoption. It is a merely a composition of patterns in service to an
aim. Key to this is that the patterns (the elements) are
well-documented elsewhere, as explicit knowledge.<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 10/20/14 1:26 AM, John Baxter wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CAJpg6=Rxn+NtbL9VFo-Smz2Ef5iV=7SFYWEsP3OtZ4+7eQeS3w@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444">Hello all, especially Daniel -
and if you are dropping in, also Harold & Artur.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444">Having just written an email to
the group on patterns for open space, I think this is a good
illustration of where/how a solid and deep pattern language
would be useful.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444">The things you list Daniel as
'fundamental ingredients' to me are mostly procedural,
surface-level things. They are all there to serve particular
functions (e.g. information flow, building trust or energy),
and whether and how they are needed depends on whether these
functions are needed. The needs can be understood in terms of
underlying "patterns", which are functional and dynamic
'design elements'. (Patterns make much more sense in a
'design' frame than a procedural-analytical one.)</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444">If we were clear what the
patterns of open space were, then we could say what is 'really
needed' (or, better yet, there would be patterns to describe
what we should do to create the desired result in the desired
context... in the same way that a house does not <i>need</i>
4 walls, but that if we are in a climate where those walls are
useful, it is certainly a good idea to have them there!).</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444">Yes we could reframe what you
identify Daniel as patterns... but they are not deep and
generative patterns, but merely surface elements.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444">Fortunately, the discussion is
automatically herding us towards uncovering these patterns...
they are what we might refine if we continue to ask "what is
essential, what is not, and why not... and what alternative
might be?"</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444">For instance I might suggest from
the conversation that the differences in public/private,
sponsored/commitment are just outer manifestations of deeper
patterns like participant commitment and energy, and that any
variation that fulfills "bring together participants with
commitment to resolving a common issue" will suffice.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444">This is starting to sound more
like a useful pattern, and explains pretty simply to me why it
might be useful to have sponsors providing commitment to
follow through, or why internal vs public events might work
differently! (And also why in other circumstances, these
things might not be necessary, or might be the same... not at
all night and day.)</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444">Please forgive me if my parallel
train of thought is too far fetched.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet
ms,sans-serif;color:#444444">Cheers</div>
</div>
<div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all">
<div>
<div dir="ltr"><br>
<div>
<div
style="font-family:arial;text-align:-webkit-auto;font-size:small"><font
color="#663300" face="'trebuchet ms', sans-serif"><b><i>John
Baxter</i></b></font></div>
<div
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style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">CoCreateADL.com
</a> | <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.jsbaxter.com.au/"
style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">jsbaxter.com.au</a></div>
<div
style="font-family:arial;text-align:-webkit-auto;font-size:small"><font
color="#444444" face="'trebuchet ms', sans-serif">0405
447 829</font>
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style="font-family:arial;text-align:-webkit-auto;font-size:small"><br>
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<div
style="font-family:arial;text-align:-webkit-auto;font-size:small"><i><b><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://citygrill.eventbrite.com.au"
target="_blank">City Grill— An Election Forum More
Magnificent Than Any Ever Seen</a>!</b>, Saturday
18 October 2014<br>
Connect with your candidates, get your voice heard by
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</div>
<div
style="font-family:arial;text-align:-webkit-auto;font-size:small"><i><br>
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<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Oct 20, 2014 at 10:48 AM, Lisa
Heft - via OSList <span dir="ltr"><<a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:oslist@lists.openspacetech.org"
target="_blank">oslist@lists.openspacetech.org</a>></span>
wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0
.8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div style="word-wrap:break-word">Ah - ruminate away. I am
all about reflection informing oh-so-many things…
including thinking…
<div>Warmly,</div>
<div>Lisa</div>
<div>
<div class="h5">
<div><br>
<div>
<div>On Oct 19, 2014, at 5:03 PM, Daniel Mezick
<<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:dan@newtechusa.net"
target="_blank">dan@newtechusa.net</a>>
wrote:</div>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"
style="font-family:TrebuchetMS;font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px">Wow
Lisa,<br>
<br>
I am very grateful for your detailed reply to
my 4 questions, and for your kind invitation.
Thank you!<span> </span><br>
<br>
I receive and accept your kind invite. But
before I act, I plan to ruminate on your
thoughtful send.<span> </span><br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
Daniel<br>
<br>
<div>On 10/19/14 7:39 PM, Lisa Heft - wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">Hi, folks - Daniel
it’s hard for me to stay in these email
streams for immediate back-and-forth because
my life and client task work does not always
allow that - but I wanted to ‘dip my toe’ in
and say I echo what Michael H and Chris and
others say about it not in my experience
being anything about public or private,
organizational or community, existing
community or temporary one, or any of that.
It’s about thoughtful pre-work, appropriate
documentation design, selecting the right
process (tool for the job), doing good
full-form Open Space, and other things very
specific to each client (sponsor / host /
convenor / however we wish to name them) and
each situation or need.
<div><br>
</div>
<div>We’ve had earlier conversations on this
list about what is the minimum for what is
Open Space, and our other conversations
(though you could see it differently /
that’s welcome) tend to find:</div>
<div>- host / client / sponsor / coordinator
/ convenor - usually useful if it is not
the facilitator </div>
<div>- facilitator though it does not have
to be one that is ‘professional’ or uses
this way of naming themselves</div>
<div>- opening circle</div>
<div>- agenda co-creation (without a
facilitator’s ‘helping’, merging,
synthesizing, the group voting, etc. - all
ideas welcome and on the agenda)</div>
<div>- explanation of 4 principles and law
(some people use the 5th principle, some
do not, either works), butterfly,
bumblebee (for some, also ‘be prepared to
be surprised’, for some people, not)</div>
<div>- these guidelines / invitations above
- about how participants might choose to
be - are usually helpful on visual /
posters</div>
<div>- multiple discussion areas around
(ideally) a great big room, (ideally but
different people have different opinions)
over multiple session times</div>
<div>- closing circle for reflection and
comments</div>
<div>- ideally, some form of documentation
so folks can see / learn across all the
groups, not just the ones they were able
to get to</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Okay now here is where I would like to
invite you to imagine that each situation
is different, when it comes to
documentation. I would like to invite you
to release a measurement of what is
‘timely’ and what is ‘late’ proceedings.
Assuming thoughtful discussions have
happened in the pre-work, appropriate
documentation is designed, and this is
(ideally) custom for each event /
organization / community / situation /
need / context.</div>
<div>There are some conversations which
inform us (facilitator and client) that it
is absolutely appropriate to have a full
book-like, full-on narrative of all the
conversations that
happened-sort-of-style-of Book of
Proceedings. And reasons to either turn it
around overnight - right there in the
event - or reasons to on-purpose, delay
dissemination to actually leverage the
momentum of the event, include reflective
thinkers taking more time for their notes
(not just the quick-responders), help
people rest and integrate their experience
before looking back at their ‘data’ to
learn about the knowledge shared across
all the groups, and so on. Reasons to say
‘everything in by x:00 and we won’t be
helping you remember that - whoever is in
by then is in’ - and reasons to interact
with each convenor and notes-taker
post-event to ask if the’d like to add or
refine or complete or add things. Each
need / situation appropriate to the
context, culture, use of information
post-event, and so on. Sometimes
documentation is appropriate as a list of
who raised what topic, and that is all.
Sometimes it’s about action and next
steps. Sometimes it’s just about
knowledge-sharing without the need for
next steps. And so on. Whether
organization or community, public or
private, conference or planning meeting,
issue or experience-sharing.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Then there is the ‘sponsor commitment
to follow through’ - which is nice (in
those particular instances when that was
appropriate to the situation) but not
always necessary, in my experience. People
do amazing things and (as someone
mentioned) not always measurable to the
eye, ‘by 5:00’, post meeting, for us to
see. People do the work whether approval
happens, if they want to. They stay with
an organization or leave it to follow
their passion, if they discovered their
passion and voice in the Open Space event.
They find ways around. They decide not to.
So yes - in an organization, it’s always
nice when the sponsor commits, when
pre-work conversations help the sponsor
think in advance, perhaps even create the
mechanisms that support follow-up and
post-event sustainability. When really
thoughtful pre-work discussions inform
whether action or next steps *are* needed
and possible *after THIS* event - or are
unrealistic / unsupportable, in reality.
Or are better discerned and articulated
after reflecting on the patterns and
learnings of this event, even perhaps
after more work is done identifying
resources or champions or partners and
such, and where the Open Space is part of
a *chain* of meetings / actions / steps /
reflections / and so on over time.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>And to me? It’s not about the process,
that part. That part is universal to any
facilitation process that engages group
wisdom and diverse voices. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Here I go swimming away back into my
life and client work but I do like dipping
in now and then ;o)</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>As always, thanks for inviting the
question, Dan, and I look forward to
hearing, as always, what others think and
have experienced…</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Lisa</div>
<div><br>
<div>
<div>On Oct 17, 2014, at 11:38 AM,
Daniel Mezick via OSList <<a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:oslist@lists.openspacetech.org"
target="_blank">oslist@lists.openspacetech.org</a>>
wrote:</div>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"
style="font-family:TrebuchetMS;font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px">Hi
Michael,<br>
<br>
I'm confused now, and so I believe I
am about to learn something new
here... I'll know by your answers to
these questions:<br>
<br>
What are the minimum essentials of
Open Space structure? For example,
are the following elements necessary
at all?<br>
<br>
<ol>
<li>Sponsor</li>
<li>Theme<br>
</li>
<li>Invitation in advance,
referring to Theme<br>
</li>
<li>Opening Circle</li>
<li>Facilitator</li>
<li>Explanation of the 1Law/
5Principles</li>
<li>Posters</li>
<li>Closing Circle</li>
<li>Timely Proceedings</li>
<li>Sponsor commitment to follow
though on Proceedings</li>
</ol>
<br>
If these are not essential to
structure, why not? If so, why so?<br>
<br>
Thanks for your help! Very Eager to
hear your (hopefully<span> </span><i>detailed</i>)
answers!<br>
<br>
Daniel<br>
<br>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
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</blockquote>
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<p class="p1">Daniel Mezick, President</p>
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